The Integral View of Spirit and Life Emerging in the World
The source teachings of the great religions of the world are available to each of us without having to follow that teacher exclusively. Jesus brought Love to the world, but we can follow the path of true Self-givingness without following Christianity. We can perceive that attachment, possessiveness, ignorance, and ego are essential causes of suffering, something Buddha professed, without having to follow the religion that arose after his passing. We can surrender to the True Self within and the Divine Reality above in the activities of life without having to follow Krishna who professed that profound teaching in his time and are several of the central precepts of Hinduism. We can embrace the fact that evolution is constantly occurring in life without exclusively becoming proponents of the works and principles of Darwin. Thus in the modern era, we can take the integral approach to understanding the nature of the Reality. E.g., new spiritual teachers and evolutionary thinkers are taking the wisdom of the past and putting it into a modern context -- creating more dynamic, integral insights into the nature of existence. Because we have made great advances in our mentality in the past hundred years or so, we are able to perceive the variety of truths from all time and traditions, as well as new, modern insights, and integrate them in new holistic and uniquely perceptive integral views of Reality. That is one reason that the current era is often referred to as 'The New Age.' It is a dynamic period in which we are able to develop a fresh, new perspective of existence, including the knowledge gleaned from multiple cultures; the various paths of wisdoms from a variety of traditions; the vast array of material, psychological, and spiritual insights from around the world; and meld them into a comprehensive view of existence. Interestingly, it includes new, unprecedented insight into the true nature, flow, and workings of life. For example, the recent interest in the principle of the Law of Attraction and the phenomenon of Life Response are merely the first wave of insights into how higher levels of consciousness can evoke instances of sudden good fortune. Of course, such laws and phenomena are not new at all -- as they were expressed in ancient traditions, such as the Indian Vedas and Upanishads thousands of years ago -- yet they are now being integrated into a modern context, giving them added dynamism and power. The Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo drew on most if not all of the great spiritual precepts to come with an integral view that harmonizes such perceived dualities as spirit and matter, science and faith, and evolution and determination. Writing from the deepest poise of intuitive, spiritualized mind, he had the vision of the integral view of existence. He then formulated an evolutionary, spiritual philosophy that was unprecedented in human history. He also had all of the essential experiences of the past masters and the ancient wisdom, and in a spontaneous expression of spiritual insight, developed his dynamic, unprecedented integral view of existence. He would then go on to describe a future humanity in which we would transcend our current human functioning, ushering in a new, divine life on earth. There are many signs that we are moving towards this new integral view of life. We see nations forging closer political and economic ties and alliances; we see the embracing of one another's cultures; we see the communications of a plethora of beliefs and spiritual teachings over the Internet; we see a society more open to new ideas that go beyond one's traditional culture. This cross-pollination of wisdom and personal experience is enriching the world and every individual in it. While many focus on the technological means of communicating the wisdom, the all-important knowledge itself is formulating into a new, integral, evolutionary, consciousness-oriented view of life. It is surely a sign of humanity's progress -- which I believe is in fact a New Awakening. It is also an expression of Sri Aurobindo's great precept of "Unity in Diversity;" that as we move towards ever-greater levels of human unity, we absorb an ever-expanding diversity of views and precepts about the nature of existence. As a result, an integral view of life begins to emerge that is infinitely profound, comprehensive, and dynamic. Category:Spirituality Category:Spiritual Evolution